Local basketball referee Rhonda Daws: Dedication to the art of refereeing

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By Bill Choy

Siskiyou Daily News, Yreka, CA

By Bill Choy

Posted Mar. 7, 2013 at 12:04 PM
Updated Mar 7, 2013 at 12:11 PM

By Bill Choy

Posted Mar. 7, 2013 at 12:04 PM
Updated Mar 7, 2013 at 12:11 PM

SISKIYOU COUNTY

Being a referee takes a lot more dedication and hard work than just putting on the uniform and blowing a whistle.

While players and coaches go through game film to see what they did right and need to improve on, or go to different camps to learn new techniques and improve their overall game, a fair share of referees do the same. After all, being an official is never an easy thing, with fans and coaches sometimes quick to react when they think a wrong call is made, and calls potentially being the difference between a win or a loss, so being on top of your game is vital. A referee that values watching game film of their performance or going to different referee camps is Scott Valley resident Rhonda Daws.

During the basketball season, Daws referees high school boys and girls basketball games throughout Siskiyou County and the North State as well as being a referee on the community college level and at NAIA women's basketball games in Oregon and Northern California. During the season, she is pretty much on the road for games the majority of the week. One night she may be up in Klamath Falls officiating a college basketball game and the next night she might be in Yreka for a boys or girls basketball contest.

In her ninth year as a basketball referee, Daws, a 1992 Yreka High graduate, said one her rituals is to watch game film of her performance.

"I want to get better," she said. "That's why I break the games down. I want to to look at the film and go, did I get it right?"

"No one wants to go on the court and do a bad job," she added, which is why she said she does everything she can to make sure she knows the rules of the game backwards and forwards and strives to make the right call.

Daws admits that folks are quite passionate about their teams at times. With the stakes so high during some games, tempers can flare and folks do get upset about calls made by the referees, she said.

For example, Daws said, she recently made a call late in a crucial local basketball game that one of the coaches was quite upset with. So upset, in fact, Daws said, they requested that Daws not officiate their next game.This was the first time in her career this had occurred, she said. Daws said that she understands that it just goes with the territory but admits it can be unpleasant at times getting yelled at by fans or coaches for a call they disagree with.

"It can be hard not to take it personally sometimes," Daws said. "When there are people hollering at me it can be difficult."

Page 2 of 2 - While there are certainly fans and coaches that can be less than welcoming, Daws said there are many others who are glad to see her and understand the challenges in being a referee and appreciates the way she tries to fairly officiate a game.

"It's nice when people are like '"It's good to see you,"' she said.

Her dedication to her craft has included going to around four camps each summer to learn from the best in the business, refine her skills and to strive to be great at what she does.

"We have the best of the best giving us feedback," Daws said. "It's important to know your stuff."

Those she has had the chance to receive instruction from include Violet Palmer, an NBA and WNBA referee. "She's the best of the best," Daws said. "She's very intimidating but approachable and gives back great feedback."

When Daws was at Yreka High, she participated in a number of sports, including basketball, and said she has had a passion for sports since she was young. When she is not officiating basketball games, her full time job is as the health and wellness director at the Siskiyou Family YMCA in Yreka. During basketball season it can be a challenge at times balancing her job, her husband, and their two children with the constant travel it takes to be a referee. But, she said, "I'm very busy, but it's fun. I couldn't do all of this without a supportive husband."

Daws plans to continue to referee and is hopeful she will move up soon to officiating Division 2 NCAA women's basketball games and is hopeful that will happen in the near future.

One of her more memorable highlights as an official came in 2007 when she was part of the first all-female officiating crew at the Northern Section Championship games at Chico State.

"I think that people realised that, yes, we can be at that level," she said.